{"product_id":"crocodilopolis","title":"Crocodilopolis","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Arias's novel follows the quest for revenge and juxtaposes it with the brothers' upbringing in this fantastic new novel.\" --Emily Burack and Adam Rathe, \u003ci\u003eTown and Country\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A book that combines the goofiness of a telenovela, the brother-against-brother mythos of the Bible and the bonkers mayhem of death by crocodile? Bring it on ... Arias, whose \n\u003ci\u003eWhere There Was Fire\u003c\/i\u003e was about family drama on a banana plantation, knows this territory well.\" --Chris Hewitt, \n\u003ci\u003eMinnesota Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[A] sprawling tale of wealth, power, privilege and madness ... This impressive novel lingered in my mind for days after I finished it.\" --Brian Tanguay, \n\u003ci\u003eCalifornia Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eCrocodilopolis\u003c\/i\u003e is a darkly intoxicating novel, at once mythic and wickedly contemporary. Through the feud of two brothers born into a corrupt political dynasty, Arias exposes how power mutates love into rivalry and destiny into violence. With lush yet exacting prose replete with humor and lyrical potency, here is a writer in full command of his world, delivering a ferocious meditation on masculinity, legacy, and national myth through an audacious, unforgettable book.\" --Ocean Vuong, \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times bestselling author of THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS and ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GOREOUS\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"The tales John Manuel Arias spins are as gripping as they are stunningly written. A natural born storyteller of the highest order.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eJustin Torres, National Book Award-winning author of BLACKOUTS\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"In this beautiful novel Arias creates a journey both mythic and necessary in the here and now. There is destiny, there is beauty, there is loss. In Arias' work there is life in all its epic and intimate.\" --Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, \n\u003ci\u003eNational Book Award finalist and author of CHAIN GANG ALL-STARS\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"The wonderful John Manuel Arias is bequeathing us-and Latine literature as a whole-his wildly imaginative second novel, \n\u003ci\u003eCrocodilopolis. \u003c\/i\u003eIt's a high-octane cocktail of obsession, fraternal revenge, Costa Rican politics, and yes, crocodiles. Lots of crocodiles. What could go wrong? Read this romp of a tale to find out!\" --Cristina Garcia, author of VANISHING MAPS \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A lush, ambitious take on Cain and Abel intertwined with the rich history of Costa Rica.\" --Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of THE BEWITCHED \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A Costa Rican dynasty's lust for power drives this lush and suspenseful saga ... Arias remains in control to the very end of this un-put-downable novel.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Arias offers a blood-soaked family drama that invites reflection on both Costa Rican and contemporary U.S. politics. \"Costa Rica is its own myth,\" he suggests, in a brief poetic aside. \"Costa Rica is Costa Rica,\" suggests another.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eJohn Manuel Arias \u003c\/b\u003eis the National Bestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eWhere There Was Fire\u003c\/i\u003e, a finalist for the Barnes \u0026amp; Noble Discover Prize. Arias has published work in \n\u003ci\u003eHarper's Bazaar, The Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, F(r)iction\u003c\/i\u003e, and more. He has lived in Washington, D.C., Brooklyn, New York, and in San José, Costa Rica, with his grandmother and four ghosts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A darkly intoxicating novel, at once mythic and wickedly contemporary...Here is a writer in full command of his world, delivering a ferocious meditation on masculinity, legacy, and national myth through an audacious, unforgettable book.\" --Ocean Vuong, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Emperor of Gladness \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eOn Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the author of national bestseller \u003ci\u003eWhere There Was Fire\u003c\/i\u003e comes a gripping tale of sibling rivalry, family secrets, and the fate of a nation.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOnce a powerful, cold-blooded politician in Costa Rica, Seth Oreamundo is now living in exile in Washington, DC - and his younger brother Osario is to blame. Born into a corrupt political dynasty and raised on a seemingly idyllic coffee estate, the Oreamundo brothers were destined for greatness. But a dark family secret and a scandalous double crossing sent their lives into a tailspin, changing the country forever. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOsario must pay, and Seth decides the only way to do so is to return home to Costa Rica and feed his brother to the infamous river of crocodiles from their childhood. What follows is a spellbinding story of revenge alternating between Seth's murderous plans and memories of the brothers' upbringing. With the wisdom of biblical myth and the soapy wit of a telenovela, \n\u003ci\u003eCrocodilopolis\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterful interrogation of power, masculinity, destiny, and legacy from a literary star on the rise. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 05\/25\/2026 (EAN 9781639738434, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/01\/2026 (EAN 9781639738434, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eArias, John Manuel\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eJohn Manuel Arias\u003c\/b\u003e is a queer, Costa Rican American poet and writer. He is a Canto Mundo fellow \u0026amp; alumnus of the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop. His prose and poetry have been published in \n\u003ci\u003ePANK, The Rumpus, F(r)iction, Joyland Magazine, \u003c\/i\u003e and Akashic Books. He has lived in Washington D.C., Brooklyn New York, and in San José, Costa Rica with his grandmother and four ghosts. \n\u003ci\u003eWhere There Was Fire \u003c\/i\u003eis his first novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496228323606,"sku":"9781639738434","price":35.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781639738434.jpg?v=1783057765","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/crocodilopolis","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}